Video: Songs of Water

This story was originally published in March. Songs Of Water returns to Asheville on Saturday, Aug. 24. They’ll perform an all-ages show at Isis. 9 p.m., $12 advance / $15 at the door.

Greensboro-based Songs Of Water melds the sounds of Africa, the Middle East and Vaudeville to create something uniquely their own. The band played to a seated house on March 7 at the Grey Eagle. The crowd sat, rapt, as Songs of Water effortlessly filled the room with their fresh take on world music. The sound evolved throughout the night as band members continuously swapped instruments, sometimes mid-song.

Lead singer Stephen Roach set the mood — as did the live painting. Roach’s light-hearted banner was jovial and well received. He even joked about one of their songs being in a Tim Burton adaptation of his children’s book (which he sheepishly admitted wasn’t true). The music was haunting, mysterious and spiritual. Soothing vocal harmonies compounded beautifully with their exotic instrumentation. It wasn’t long before there was dancing behind the seated crowd and by the encore, everyone was out of their seat soaking up the energy.